It took many months before Maggie allowed herself to enjoy her new life. She eventually came to have her favorite spot under the apple tree, her own corner of the pasture where the new grass grew tallest, and her own place in the warm, hay-scented shelter of the barn. Maggie learned to be loved to lift her head for a special scratch under her pendulous lower lip, to lean gently against my side so that I could slip an arm around her neck, and to nuzzle in my coat pocket for the special treat she knew I always carried.
She looked up at the sound of my voice, and in her own cumbersome way, galloped down the side of the hill to meet me. She joyfully brayed a welcome through the barn when I appeared in the morning, and snuffled a wet goodnight into my ear as I closed the door at night.
Maggie knew she was loved—not for how she looked or for what she could do, but just for being Maggie. She died in the spring six years after she came with us. She died in her comer of the pasture, with a wisp of new green grass in her mouth. She died quietly, without fuss, as she had lived her life. But in a departure from how she had lived most of her life, Maggie died loved. For the old, the unloved, and even the unlovable, Maggie is my reminder that love is a one-way flow until the heart learns to trust.
我从来都不知道玛吉的年龄和我见到它之前它的生活状况。但在它身上有长期被虐待的痕迹，而且每当有人突然惊动它，它都会很害怕。我本没有要让玛吉和我们一起生活的想法，我带着孩子们去瓦林农场只是看看驴，而没想买它。但是我突然看到一道目光，这改变了我的想法，我想买一头驴。
我选择了一头生龙活虎的小驴，它柔软的嘴伸进我的口袋里想找吃的。它个头小，但是身材还不错，它叫莱克西，差不多有我肩膀那么高。“它将来得有个伴，”驴贩子瓦尔说道，“驴讨厌独处。”当时我脸上的表情肯定很沮丧。我买一头驴都有经济压力，又怎么能买得起两头呢？“我买不起两头驴，”我有点儿哽咽地说。默默地在心里和莱克西说再见。
“我知道你会对莱克西好的，所以我有这样一个想法：我有一头老得拉不动车的驴，也不好看，我想把它卖掉，但是没有人想要，我也不想要它了。不过它很温顺，如果你愿意，我可以把它送给你，让它给莱克西做伴。它就在附近。”
我顺着瓦尔手指的方向望过去，看到一头黑色的驴孤单地站在那里，没有和围在我们周围的驴在一起。即使从远处看我仍然能看到它的皮毛粗糙，还有几处掉了毛。“不要在意它的皮毛，” 瓦尔继续说，“它生疥癣了，很快就会好的。”我们慢慢靠近它，它没抬头看我们，显然，它对我们没有兴趣。
“它叫玛吉，” 瓦尔说，“已经训练好了，有没有马鞍都可以骑它。现在让我给你们演示一下。” 瓦尔从篱笆上拿下一套马鞍，套在玛吉身上。玛吉安静地站着，仍然没有抬头。“上去喽，”瓦尔抱起我的儿子内森，把他重重地放在玛吉的背上，并在它的臀部拍打。玛吉向前走了几步，它没有向左右张望。“瞧，它很温和，什么都不会惊动它。”瓦尔说。玛吉转身朝我们走来。那一刻，我看到了它的眼睛，顺从而绝望。玛吉知道自己没有其他驴可爱和年轻，也知道没人愿意要它，因为它不漂亮、不优雅。它还知道它的后半生会从一个无情的商人手中转到另一个无情的商人手中。
我走近它，托住它灰色的嘴巴，抬起它的头。我凝视着它的眼睛，对它耳语道：“玛吉，跟我一起回家，我会给你温暖的畜舍，许多干草，新鲜的水和绿色的牧地，还有一棵苹果树，它会在炎热的天气里为你遮阳。我将照顾你的后半生。”
次日，玛吉和莱克西来到我家。莱克西跳下拖车，在田野上飞驰，想走遍新家的每一个角落。玛吉走进牲口棚的一个角落，低下头。我知道它失望了太多次，不再轻信一个陌生人的耳语。
过了几个月，玛吉才开始喜欢它的新生活。它最终选择了苹果树下的草地，那里都是新草，而且长得最高，同时，它在温暖并充满干草香的棚子里找到自己喜欢的地方。并且，它学会了接受爱——它会抬起头，让我抓它下垂的下嘴唇，会靠近我，让我搂住它的脖子，会把嘴伸进我的口袋里找好吃的东西，它知道我的口袋里总是装着好吃的东西。
玛吉一听到我的声音就会四处张望，并且笨拙地从山坡上跑下来迎接我。早晨，我来到牲口棚，它会朝我欢快地大叫，以示欢迎。晚上，我离开的时候，它会用湿鼻子贴在我的耳朵上，好像是跟我道别。
玛吉知道它被人爱，不是因为它的样貌也不是因为它的能力，而只是因为它是玛吉。六年后的春天它死了，死在草场的一个角落里，嘴里还叼着一撮青草。它安静地死去，没有打扰他人，就像它过去的生活一样。它生命的大多数时间里缺少爱，但它在最后的时光里是被爱着的。从玛吉身上我认识到，那些老人，没人爱的人和不可爱的人，首先，要信任爱，否则，他们不会感受到爱的存在。
记忆填空
1. I hadn’t planned to Maggie into our lives. I took the children to Valean Farm to look donkeys, not buy one. But one look mine undid all my resolve. I wanted .
2. I followed Val’s pointing . A gray donkey stood alone, aloof from the other donkeys crowding around us. Even at a , I could see that her coat was rough and patchy, with skin showing through here and there.
3. She died in the spring six years she came with us. She died in her comer of the pasture, a wisp of new green grass in her mouth. She died quietly, without fuss, as she had her life.
佳句翻译
1. 我从来都不知道玛吉的年龄和我见到它之前它的生活状况。
2. 我知道它失望了太多次，不再轻信一个陌生人的耳语。
3. 它生命的大多数时间里缺少爱，但它在最后的时光里是被爱着的。
短语应用
1. Even at a distance, I could see that her coat was rough and patchy, with dark skin showing through here and there.
here and there：各处，到处
2. Lexy bounced out of the trailer and galloped up and down the fields…
up and down：上上下下；到处；前前后后；来来往往